Mower



Dec. 24,, 1935 J. M. TAUBER 2,025,537

MOWER Filed March 16, 1932 2 SheetsSheet 1' Dec. 24, was. m 2,025,53?

MOWER Filed March 16, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I t? v 7 r Vfidkwss: I

I provided with an improved form of teeth Patented Dec. 24, 1935' PATENT OFFICE MOWER Joseph M. Tauber, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 16, 1932, Serial No. 599,085

3 Claims.

The main objects of this invention are .to provide a lawn mower having a fixed cutter blade adapted to hold-the grass in proper cutting position; to provide improved movable cutters coacting with said teeth; to provide improved means for oscillating said movable cutters; to provide improved means for preventing clogging of said oscillating means; and to provide improved means ior adjusting the height of said cutter blade to regulate the depth of cut.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, where- Figure l is a top plan of a mower, with parts thereof broken away. i

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing certain portions of the mower.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mower, taken from the right of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail in elevation showing the connection between the traction wheels and the cutter actuating mechanism.

In the construction shown, the improved mower comprises a carriage i, on which is mounted a fixed cutter blade 2, which supports a plurality of oscillatory cutters 3 which are oscillated by actu ating mechanism 4.

In the form illustrated, the carriage l comprises a housing having a bottom 5, rear wall 6, and side walls I. Formed on the rear wall 6, is a boss 8 forming a socket for receiving a handle 9 by which the mower may be trundled along the ground. The mower may, however, be power driven.

The carriage is supported by a pair of rear traction wheels I!) and a pair of forward rollers l I. The traction wheels ID are provided with internal gears l2 for driving the cutter actuating mechanism. The rollers II. are journaled in bearing plates l3 and M which are provided with vertically disposed slots l5 for receiving bolts l6 mounted on substantially U-shaped brackets l1 formed at the forward end of the carriage. Due to these pin and slot connections, the rollers ll may be bodily adjusted vertically so as to regulate the height of the fixed cutter blade 2, and the two journals of each roller may be independently adjusted vertically. Formed on these brackets ll, are forwardly extending shelves I8 to which the blade 2 is detachably se: cured by screws l9.

The side walls I are tapered and the upper inclined edges 20 thereof support a cover plate 2| in position to form a runway which inclines rear- 5 wardly and upwardly from the cutters for directing the mown grass over the rear wall 6. This runway is described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,763,831 issued June 17, 1930. Flanges 22 are formed at the sides of the cover plate, and these are offset, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to be positioned in the vertical planes of the side walls '3. The cover plate may be secured to the side walls "I by screws 23.

A portion of the cover plate is raised to provide a hood 2i which covers a gear housing 25 which is formed on the base 5. A suitable lubrlcant may be injected into the gear housing 25 through a cup 26 mounted on the cover plate.

In the improved form shown, the fixed cutter 20 blade 2 is provided with a row of forwardly projecting teeth 21, which are spaced from one another, as shown in Fig. 2. These teeth are ser rated along their side edges to provide ridges 28 which prevent the grass from falling forwardly after it has entered the spaces between the teeth. The teeth 21 are tapered forwardly and downwardly and the serrations 28 are tapered downwardly and rearwardly.

The upper surfaces of the teeth are flat so as to provide bearing surfaces 29 located in a single 7 plane and adapted to coact with the oscillatory cutters 3.

The oscillatory cutters are pivotally secured to the fixed cutter blade by screws 30 which are ar- 3.; ranged in a single row. These screws are staggered with respect to the teeth 21 so that each movable cutter is adapted to coact with the opposed cutting edges of two adjacent fixed teeth on the blade 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The sides of these cutters are preferably tapered forwardly and upwardly.

Formed on the rear ends of the movable cutters, are tongues 3|, which extend into recesses 32 formed in the forward edge of a reciprocating bar 33 which forms part of the actuating mechanism.

Extending laterally from the side edges of the movable cutters, are fingers 34 which are intended to serve as obstructions to prevent any of the mown grass from entering the recesses 32 or passing between the cutter blade 2 and the reciprocating bar 33. These fingers are alined with the pivot screws 30, as shown in Fig. 1.

The reciprocating bar 33 is slidably mounted ings 41 formed on the carriage walls 1.

on the fixed cutter blade 2. Mounted on the upper face of this bar, is a strip 35 which extends over the recesses 32 to prevent the movable cutters from jumping out of the recesses in the event that the screws 30 become loose. This strip also prevents grass from falling into the recesses. It may be secured to the reciprocating bar 33 by screws 36.

The cutter actuating bar 33 is guided by a pair of rollers 38 journaled on screws 31 which are mounted on the carriage base 5. Supported on these rollers 38, is a. guide bar 39. The rollers extend through slots 40 irrthe reciprocating bar 33 and they are of greater thickness than the reciprocating bar, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to hold the guide bar 39- out of contact with the reciprocating bar.

The actuating mechanism includes a rod 4! connected to the reciprocating bar 33 and to a crank 42 mounted on a shaft 43 journaled in the housing 25. Mounted on the shaft 43, is a beveled pinion 44 meshing with a beveled gear 45 fixed on a shaft 46 which is journaled in bear- Tubes 48 conduct some of the lubricant from the gear housing to the bearings 41.

Formed on the outer faces of the side walls 1, in axial alinement with the bearings 41, are cups 49 which house a pair of pinions 50 loosely mounted on the ends of the shaft 46 and meshing with the internal gears l2 of the traction wheels. These pinions are provided with hub portions having internal ratchets 52 adapted to engage pins 53 which are loosely seated in slots 54 extending through the drive shaft 46. With this construction, upon the forward movement of the mower, the ratchets 52 engage the pins 53 for driving the shaft 46, and, upon the backward movement of the mower, the ratchets 52 merely recipro cate the pins 53.

In operation, in trundling the mower forwardly, the cutters 3 are oscillated through the action of the reciprocating bar 33. The cutters 3 and fingers 21 coact to cut the grass with a scissors action and the serrations 28 serve to hold the grass in position to be out.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims:-

I claim as my invention:

1. A mower comprising a carriage. a unitary cutter blade fixed on the forward end of said carriage and having a plurality of forwardly projecting teeth provided with unindented and unobstructed fiat upper bearing surfaces disposed 5 entirely in a single plane, a row of cutterspivotally mounted on said unitary blade and slidably engaging said bearing surfaces, said cutters being spaced apart laterally, fingers integrally formed on the side edges of said cutters and projecting laterally beyond said side edges for obstructing the spaces between said cutters to prevent the passage of mown grass between the rear ends of said cutters, said fingers being adapted to be located in a substantially straight line when said cutters point forwardly, and mechanism for oscillating said cutters.

2. A mower comprising a carriage, a cutter blade fixed on the forward end of said carriage and having a plurality of forwardly projecting teeth provided with unindented and unobstructed flat upper bearing surfaces disposed in a single plane, a row of cutters pivotally mounted on said blade and slidably engaging said bearing surfaces, said cutters being spaced apart laterally, fingers integrally formed on the side edges of said cutters and projecting laterally beyond said side edges for obstructing the spaces between said outters to prevent the passage of mown grass between the rear ends of said cutters, said fingers being substantially alined with the pivotal axes of said cutters, and mechanism for oscillating said cutters. I

3. A mower comprising a carriage, a unitary cutter blade fixed on the forward end of said carriage and having a plurality of forwardly projecting teeth provided with unindented and unobstructed fiat upper bearing surfaces disposed in a single plane, a plurality of cutters pivotally mounted on said blade and slidably engaging said bearing surfaces, said cutters having rearwardly extending tongues, a reciprocating bar mounted on said unitary cutter blade and having recesses in the forward edge thereof for receiving said tongues, a guide bar mounted above said reciprocating bar and secured to said unitary cutter blade, and laterally extending fingers integrally formed on the side edges of said pivoted cutters adapted to prevent the passage of mown grass into said recesses, said fingers being alined with the pivotal axes of said cutters.

JOSEPH M. TAUBER. 

